Saving Private Yukina
by Cheloya
Summary: OLD. DISCONTINUED. A forest fire that injures Hiei and Kurama seems to have some link to Yukina's brother, so she sets out to find him. Of course, Hiei can't have her wandering around on her own... Will probably turn out KxH.
1. The Battle of the Bathroom

Disclaimer: I do not own Hiei, Kurama, Yukina, Genkai, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko or the arsonist. I also do not own anything else from _Yu Yu Hakusho_.

A/N: One thing - Japanese words aren't meant to be pluralised. Therefore, we have one _ningen_, two _ningen_, and five hundred thousand _ningen_. 'Ningens' never enters into the equation. It looks and sounds stupid, and I hate using it, so I don't. That is all. Definitions of all Japanese words used are at the bottom of the chapter.

**Chapter One**

The Battle of the Bathroom

It was just one of those days. The kind of day where you can't walk around the block without a change of clothing, where you freeze hopefully in place at the slightest hint of a breeze. Kurama had shucked off his shirt and now lay spreadeagled underneath his ceiling fan, clad only in boxer shorts. Crimson hair had been half-tamed in a lame attempt at a top-knot. Hiei, just as overheated as his companion and equally shirtless, sat on Kurama's windowsill despite the fox's frequent complaints that he was blocking the breeze. There _was_ no breeze.

Hiei sighed softly and surrendered a battle that the heat would eventually have won, anyway: he yanked off his boots and rolled his loose pants up to his knees. Then, with a heavier sigh, he leaned his head back against the window frame. All anyone could do in this weather was sigh.

Sweat dripped from the side of his face from underneath his bandanna and he wrinkled his nose. He had nothing against the heat, as such, but the humidity made him long for Makai with its dry, barren winds and steady-bake summer. Humidity, he supposed, was the price Ningenkai paid for being so fertile. _Damn Ningenkai summer._

Kurama seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "Damn Yusuke... off _swimming_ in Okinawa..." He lamented. Hiei grunted in reply. Yusuke, his girlfriend and the Idiot were all on a school trip - which had, for reasons unknown to the students of Sarayashiki Junior High, been scheduled for the middle of their summer holidays. Probably in anticipation of the heatwave. Hiei was glad they were gone - no Yusuke meant no missions. Koenma had never had the nerve to send the demon Tantei off on their own.

Hiei smirked lazily. Just as well. In this heat, this close to midsummer - the peak of all things fiery - he wouldn't have the restraint to merely bring a criminal in for interrogation. Anything he hunted right now would be charcoal when he caught it.

Kurama sat up suddenly, shaking the fire demon from his thoughts. "This is ridiculous." The fox said, sliding from his bed and padding to the windowsill. He grabbed Hiei's arm. "Come with me."

Hiei slid from the sill to the floor and followed the redhead into the hall, glancing around warily. "What are we doing?"

"You'll see." Kurama yanked open a door and propelled the fire demon quickly inside. "'Kaasan, I'm having a cold shower!"

Shiori's voice drifted up from the kitchen. "Not too long, Shuichi, we're meant to be conserving water."

"_Haai_." Kurama declared almost boredly, closing the door behind him and locking it. Hiei cocked his head demandingly. Kurama ushered him to a curtain and pulled it back a little, gesturing to two knobs on the wall. "If you turn these, water comes out the shower head." He waved his hand vaguely at something silver protruding from the wall about two feet above Hiei's head. "Blue for cold, red for hot. It's how ningen get clean. Am I right in assuming we want cold?" He raised a teasing eyebrow at Hiei. The fire demon nodded slowly.

Satisfied, Kurama tugged the tie out of his hair. It tumbled out to its full length, brushing against the band of his boxer shorts. "Good. Take off your pants, then." As he opened a cupboard and took out towels for the two of them, Hiei gave him a very dirty look.

"I'm not an _idiot_, fox."

Kurama set down the towels and blinked at Hiei. Then a vague smile crossed his face. "Too hot for anything like that, Hiei, and besides that, my parents are downstairs. This is strictly in the interest of cooling down, although you're welcome to take it as you will." He fluttered his eyelashes jokingly at the fire demon, shamelessly removing his own shorts and making a beeline for the 'shower'. He turned the handle marked with blue and Hiei jumped as water began to spray from the showerhead. Kurama stepped behind the curtain, dimly visible as a silhouette, and hissed a little as the cold water hit him.

It took perhaps two sighs of relief from Kurama before Hiei shrugged, removed his own clothing and pulled back the curtain. Kurama had his eyes closed and his head tilted back slightly, wet hair dangling to a little past his hips. His mouth was open, lips gently parted to receive the water pouring from the steel nozzle. Hiei frowned at the steel waterfall for a moment as Kurama shifted out of the stream of water and opened his eyes.

The fox placed a too-warm hand on Hiei's sweaty shoulder and moved out of the way, steering the half-Koorime under the flow of the steel waterfall. Hiei gasped at the sudden cold and then tilted his head forward in relief, letting the heavy droplets penetrate his thick mane. The bandanna remained, Kurama noticed with a smile, as he poured a little of his favourite shampoo into his hand.

"This is a shower." He said as he began to massage the liquid into his hair. "A wonderful ningen invention, don't you think?"

Hiei grunted. "Damn ningen... taming waterfalls... what's next, the bloodfire?" Kurama smiled merrily at his friend's synonym for 'magma'. He squeezed out a little more shampoo, noticing as he did so that his vision was beginning to have suspiciously bright edges.

He frowned. "Hiei..." That was as far as he got.

Hiei turned at the sound of his name, opening his eyes just in time to receive a double-armful of Kurama. He stifled a yelp, tried to stop himself, and fell over with a resounding 'thud', catching his head a glancing blow on the tiles. He winced, screwing his eyes shut as Kurama's fingers, slightly sticky (with what, Hiei wasn't sure he wanted to know), brushed his nose and eyebrows.

"Stupid fox!" He hissed. "That hurt." Kurama didn't respond and his hand did not move. Hiei felt something thicker than blood ooze down the side of his nose. "...fox?" He opened his eyes and immediately regretted it as the substance, whatever it was, trickled into his eyes. A warning tingle made Hiei pause, then a fierce burning prompted him to shove Kurama roughly aside. He pawed frantically at his eyes, swearing as searing pain assaulted him. _K'so! Is it acid? What the hell did the fox do?!_ He tore the bandanna from his forehead and his Jagan, feeling the slimy substance that had been on Kurama's fingers begin to seep through the fabric.

The Jagan opened instantaneously, thankfully unaffected by the slime and prompted by his panic. With its oddly focused vision he saw Kurama, a white-gold glow, still lying face down on the tiles.

Wasn't there water at the bottom of the curtained-off area? _FUCK!_ Guided by the Jagan, struggling to see out of burning, stinging eyes, and still swearing miserably, Hiei jerked Kurama's body up out of the shallow water. "Fox?" He called irritably. No answer. "This is absolutely not funny, Kurama." Nothing. Hiei swore a little more violently, dragging the redhead's tall, slender frame with him out of the shower cubicle. Blearily, he saw the towels Kurama had taken down, grabbed one, and wrapped the fox rather messily in its folds. With the other, he swiped furiously at his eyes, hiruiseki scattering around him like pebbles. This was _ridiculous._

He turned his attention briefly to the steel waterfall - Shiori would get suspicious if he didn't shut the damn thing off soon. He grabbed the blue knob and twisted. Luck was with him this time, and the waterfall slowed. One more turn and the flow had stopped completely. Hiei, eyes still stinging, breathed a small sigh of relief.

Kurama stirred, moaning softly. The sound raised hairs on the back of Hiei's neck. The half-Koorime said, "Wake up, fox." The redhead twitched fitfully for a few moments, almost choking once before he settled again. Hiei donned his pants, flaring his youki briefly to dry himself. When Kurama started to mutter, the fire demon knelt to shake him awake. His hands had barely touched the fox's shoulders before it became apparent that something was very wrong.

The fox's skin was unusually hot, nearly as warm as his own. It could have been the weather, but somehow Hiei didn't think so.

Kurama moaned again, eyes cracking open. "Forest... Yukina...!" He croaked, before degenerating into incoherency again. Hiei nodded at that. The forest would be a good place for Kurama to be, among things of his element. And Yukina could heal what the forest wouldn't. Satisfied, he wrapped Kurama more securely in the towel and slung him carefully across his own shoulders. He opened the bathroom door and crabbed cautiously down the hall to the fox's room, slipping out through the open window and heading for Genkai's temple over the rooftops. Trees would be too difficult to navigate, carrying Kurama like this.

He ran across rooftops, ignoring the intense heat emanating from the roof tiles. It was only when his eyes began to clear that he noticed the black plume of smoke ahead. On the mountain. Right near the temple.

"_K'so!_"

---

A/N: Please review and let me know what you think so far. =)

_ningen_ - human/humans

_Ningenkai_ - the human world

_Okinawa_ - a popular holiday spot in Japan

_K'so_ - shortening of _kuso_; "Dammit!"

_'Kaasan_ – mother

_haai_ – yeah; informal "yes"

_Youki_ – demon energy

_hiruiseki_ – the tear gems that Koorime cry.


	2. Forest Fire

Disclaimer: I do not own Hiei, Kurama, Yukina, Genkai, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko or the arsonist. I also do not own anything else from _Yu Yu Hakusho_.

A/N: In which Genkai is manipulative (as usual) and Yukina makes a discovery.

**Saving Private Yukina**

Forest Fire

"Hiei-san!" Yukina hurried across the porch of the dojo to greet the fire demon, taking tiny, delicate steps. She paused, eyes widening as she took in what she saw - Hiei, eyes red and weepy, drenched with sweat and carrying a feverish Kurama clad only in a towel. Kurama's hair dripped suds still. She resumed her rush towards Hiei, now annoyed at the hindrance of her kimono.

"Hiei-san, what happened?" She asked, her normally sweet voice filled with concern. "Is Kurama-san--?"

"He collapsed. We were in the... shower. He might have hit his head." Hiei squinted at his sister through the smoke, eyes still stinging. "Why is the mountain on fire?"

Yukina urged him up the dojo steps, swiftly preparing a futon for Kurama. "Arsonists." She said quickly. "Master Genkai is shielding the templeâ€ put him here, Hiei-san." He did so, then sat down a few feet away and kneaded his eye sockets with his fists. Whatever had been on Kurama's fingertips had really _hurt_. He rubbed at his watering eyes, then tilted his head back with a blank expression. He couldn't cry here. If Yukina saw his hiruiseki

The Koorime, busy fussing with Kurama, spared a smile over her shoulder for Hiei. She covered Kurama's forehead with her hand as she tugged a light blanket into place over the fox. He felt a burst of youki as her eyes fluttered closed. Kurama's eyes fluttered briefly and Yukina's brows furrowed. Then she removed her hand and shuffled over to Hiei's side on her knees.

"Don't be upset, Hiei-san." She said soothingly. "He has a fever, that's all."

Hiei detached his gaze from the ceiling. "What? I'm not upset. I have some... stuff in my eyes." He had no idea what the slime was. Yukina beamed at him.

"Don't be embarrassed, Hiei-san. It's sweet." She looked away as Genkai entered, despite Hiei's sputters of outrage. "Welcome back, Master Genkai."

"I'm serious! I have acid-stuff in my eyes. It was on the fox's fingers"

Genkai's eyes widened curiously. She stepped forward to peer down at the fox's prone form, a slight smirk appearing on her face. "Strange to see you both in such a state of disarray." Hiei hissed at the old woman's humour. Yukina had moved to remove Kurama's hand from beneath the covers. She reached out to remove some of the pinkish slime from his fingers and Hiei grabbed her hand.

"Don't touch it!"

Though Yukina tended to listen to Hiei when he gave her a warning, Genkai obeyed no such law. She crouched, gave a thoughtful sniff, and grabbed Kurama's hand. "You got this in your eyes?" Hiei confirmed this with a curt nod. Genkai sniffed it again and a grin spread over her withered face.

"Yukina-san, what does this smell like to you?"

The Koorime leaned forward cautiously and gave Kurama's hand a delicate sniff. "Mmm... roses." She decided, returning her attention to Kurama's fever. Hiei blinked.

"And what about you, Hiei?" The old woman's eyes glittered with amusement. Hiei sniffed suspiciously from where he was. At first, he did think roses... and then comprehension dawned.

"The fox's hair"

"Right." Genkai agreed, deftly cleaning off Kurama's hand. "Beaten by shampoo." She rolled her eyes, and before Hiei could retort, she moved on. "There's no point shielding. The fire's become magically charged. We have about half an hour before it reaches my back door."

"Oh no" Yukina murmured, red eyes stricken. "But we shouldn't move Kurama until he's well again"

Genkai shrugged. "It's probably the blaze making him ill in the first place. With so many old, powerful trees dying at once" She muttered speculatively, sitting back on her haunches to watch Yukina heal Kurama's fever. "But I can't shield against a magically charged fire with no attacking force behind it."

Hiei experienced a moment's foreboding before Yukina asked in a small voice, "You could, couldn't you Hiei-san?" She fixed the fire demon with a hopeful expression. Protests died in Hiei's throat. He nodded wordlessly. Genkai grunted.

"That's fine, but if you want Kurama to survive, you'll have to actually stop the blaze from coming any closer, as well as suppressing the rest of the fire on the mountain." She noted coolly. "Bringing him closer to the fire has only worsened the effects. As it is, we're lucky he's only got a fever. On Midsummer, we'd have char-grilled Shuichi."

Hiei gave her a look through watering eyes that let her know the information was _not_ appreciated.

"Not to mention the spiritual death of, oh, seventy percent of his body via the local plant life" Genkai added slyly.

Hiei stood up with a loud huff of annoyance and stalked outside. "I _hate_ you." He hissed at the priestess on his way out.

Genkai grinned. "Don't be long."

* * *

He walked through what remained of the forest, occasionally crouching in the determined embers to avoid catching the eye of the humans that still ran about with long snake-like tubes that gushed water. Though he'd suppressed all the heat as well as he could, he was tired now, and the flame had indeed become magically charged - it was trying to come back to life, as flame inevitably did.

His eyes still stung. He raised a hand to rub at them wearily, and bent to pick up the hiruiseki that had fallen to the blackened ground with a pitter-pat like falling rain.

The world sagged sideways and went black. (Well, blacker.)

* * *

Yukina had sat worriedly by Kurama's side, trying to shield him from the worst of the fire, until she saw a tiny figure dragging another small figure through the smoke. She ran out the back of the temple to help Genkai carry Hiei. The old woman grunted as they carried him into the temple.

"I certainly didn't expect that he'd pass out from a little forest fire."

It was about as close to apology as she got.

So now Yukina sat between the two unconscious demons and tried to make sure that they were both comfortable. Kurama's skin was red and raw, presumably due to his affinity with the burned plant life. She'd applied soothing aloes and chilled the surface of his skin with her own powers, but he'd shown no signs of stirring yet. Hiei showed more signs of life, but these were almost more disturbing than Kurama's lack of movement. The fire demon twitched incessantly, his power flooding over the confines of his skin and drenching the room with heat more intense than even midsummer's day would show. His hands were clenched on his chest, smeared with charcoal dust.

She smiled a little bit as she thought of trying to persuade him to take a bath, given the circumstances when Kurama had fainted. He certainly wouldn't be trusting shampoo any time soon. As another power flare made Kurama moan, Yukina raised her youki a little to try and counteract the heat and keep Kurama comfortable.

Almost immediately Hiei's twitching ceased. His hands unclenched, and a small black pebble clattered to the floor. It glinted suspiciously in the light. Yukina's eyes widened and her hands flew to capture the stone.

She cradled it in both her palms, ruby eyes fixed upon it in disbelief and wonder.

It was not a pebble. It was a hiruiseki. Her brother's hiruiseki, for only the tainted shed blackened tears.

And Hiei had found it on the mountain.

* * *

A/N: And so the shit hits the fan with a resounding 'splat'. Please review!


	3. Smoke and Mirrors

Disclaimer: I do not own Hiei, Kurama, Yukina, Genkai, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko or the arsonist. I also do not own anything else from _Yu Yu Hakusho_.

A/N: In which Kurama does what he does best. No, not 'look pretty'. :P In other notes, I finally got my hands on "Ryuusei no Sorichuudo". Much love to

**Saving Private Yukina**

Smoke and Mirrors

Yukina held the hiruiseki in her palm, staring into its depths. It was not, on the whole, impressive. It was quite a dusky gem, in fact, as though its owner had shed it tiredly, without much emotion behind it. It took a great deal of pure emotion to create the most beautiful of hiruiseki...

Her brother was a cold, detached Koorime, then, or else he'd cried from pain.

Why would he cry in pain on a mountain surrounded by fire?

Yukina's gaze was drawn from the glittering stone in her hand to the slumbering fire demon at her side. A small frown tugged at her features. _Hiei-san... did he fight with you? Was he the one who set the mountain on fire?_ Tears welled in her own eyes at the thought. Was her brother one of the many demons whose greatest pleasure was to create havoc for the poor humans to deal with? She shook her head a little to clear it. "This just sounds worse and worse in my head..." she murmured regretfully.

"What was that?" Genkai asked as she entered, bearing a tray covered in tea and the implements required to serve it. Yukina's head snapped towards her and she clutched the hiruiseki to the neck of her kimono defensively. The old human raised an eyebrow at the Yukina's uncharacteristic highly-strung attitude and the Koorime blushed and looked down.

"I... Hiei-san had this in his hand." She held out the blackened hiruiseki for Genkai to see. For a brief moment, the old woman froze. It was almost imperceptible, but Yukina had grown adept at reading the reiki master's moods and emotions. The almost fearful pause did not escape her. This, coupled with her own worries, caused her to blurt, "It's my brother's. I'm sure Hiei-san found him up on the mountain, but... but why would he set the mountain on fire? How could he be so close and yet not notice I was here? Or... or did he _want_ to kill us?"

Genkai hastily put down the tea tray and scuffed over the tatami to grasp Yukina's face a little less than gently in her withered hands. "Don't worry about it now." Her cinnamon brown eyes were very serious. "Hiei will tell you when he wakes up. For now, make sure he's comfortable."

Yukina stared at the woman for a time and then looked down, ashamed. "Of course, you're right..." _How selfish of me..._ She tucked the black pearl away under the lip of her obi and turned her eyes back to Hiei, dark lashes lowered. "He might not wake for some time. He expended a great deal of energy for our sake, Genkai-san." She smiled down at the fire demon, hands resting demurely in her lap. Genkai chuckled.

"Not for me, I think."

Yukina beamed.

Kurama was the first to wake, but even that took almost two hours. Yukina had gone outside to feed a flock of birds, which had grown suspiciously larger in the last twenty-four hours as the tiny creatures escaped the forest fire - or merely came to hear of the pretty demon girl in the pale blue kimono with the bread. Genkai sat patiently near the open door of the dojo, brown eyes watching as the delicate nose twitched once, twice and Kurama's eyes cracked open. He blinked dazedly at the ceiling.

Genkai stood and walked over to stand above the redhead. He looked mildly surprised as she entered his field of vision and then smiled weakly. He opened his mouth and a dry croak emerged. Genkai raised an eyebrow and knelt to pour him a glass of water. "Is that so?" She asked. Kurama's eyes crinkled in amusement. He sat up as Genkai approached and blinked as he noticed his lack of attire. He arranged the blankets somewhat more appropriately around his hips, a light flush brushing his cheeks.

Once he'd taken several tentative sips of water, he was ready to try again. "I suppose Hiei noticed the fire?"

"Yes." Genkai smirked a little. "He's going to be very annoyed with you when he wakes up." Kurama gave her a blank look of surprise and she added, "When you fainted, you got shampoo in his eyes."

Kurama's shock remained for a second and then he shifted so that he could see the fire demon properly. "Oh... that was dreadfully silly of me..." Full lips formed a concerned pout. "It's a combination wash, to keep my seeds healthy... I hope his eyes are all right." He was far more worried than he was letting on. Genkai very nearly rolled her eyes.

"Well, he ought to be once he gets his energy back. He went running off up the mountain to stifle the fire once he heard you'd be in danger if he didn't." Kurama gave her a look that flat out told her she was lying. Genkai shrugged. _Believe me, or don't_. Most people chose to believe the reiki master. Kurama, however, knew the difference between trusting a friend with his life and trusting a friend to tell the truth in a potentially embarrassing situation. Genkai fell more toward the former category than the latter. So, Kurama recalled with slight annoyance, did most of his friends...

The redheaded fox demon twisted to see Hiei better. He frowned at a painful tingle and looked down at his arms. The skin was red and raw, even blistered in some places. Kurama's frown deepened. The older trees were so close to sentience it was no wonder that the humans in the area had decreed the forest cursed. And now they were all gone... "All that's left of them is this burn." He said sadly. Genkai nodded wearily.

"That burn won't be your biggest problem, soon." She promised him darkly. Kurama looked to her with raised eyebrows, prompting her to continue. "Yukina found a hiruiseki in Hiei's hand. She knows it's her brother's, but not how it got there. At the moment, she's sure her brother was the one who set the hill on fire."

Kurama stared at her. "Oh no..." he breathed. Then his eyes became abruptly cooler. "What did you say?"

Genkai pursed her lips disapprovingly. "I didn't tell her, idiot." She snapped. "I told her that Hiei would probably tell her as soon as he woke."

Kurama rested his chin on his knees as he thought about this. What connections could Yukina have made? _If I were her..._ He tried to imagine himself in her shoes - immediately snorting at a mental image of himself in a powder blue kimono and delicate sandals - and closed his eyes stubbornly to will the image away. It was replaced by several thoughts that were not reassuring.

She knew the hiruiseki was her brother's. That left three conclusions: her brother was Hiei; her brother had been on the mountain today; her brother had been on the mountain previously. If she'd come to the first conclusion... well, he was willing to bet that Genkai wouldn't be quite so blithe about it. She'd come to the second conclusion... that meant Hiei would have to either dispel it in favour of the third conclusion, or - and he thought this was stretching coincidence a little too far - Yukina's brother had, at some stage, misplaced a tear gem.

He dismissed the thought with a frown. She knew that he would be elusive. The Koorime had been trying to kill him since his birth. He wouldn't do something so foolish as to leave a black hiruiseki lying around. Unless there had been more Forbidden Children that the black gem could be blamed on...

Kurama rolled his eyes at himself.

Realistically, Yukina would believe that Hiei had met her brother on the mountain today. Genkai had said she was certain he'd set the hill on fire, but could she be convinced that Hiei had been given the gem as a message?

A little Yukina-shaped voice in the back of his head said, _But Hiei-san, why do you still have the hiruiseki of my mother?_

Kurama shook a metaphorical fist at the little Yukina-shaped voice. The Youko's mind was too damn analytical for its own good. But in any case, Hiei had been half-blind up on the mountain, and probably exhausted by struggling to put out the fire. A smile crossed his lips. "I've got it."

Genkai blinked, torn away from her own thoughts. "What?"

Kurama's thoughts raced along a path that was too fast for his tongue. _Yukina knows her brother is a half-breed, so perhaps she thinks he can control fire as well as ice. We all continue to tell her that he's probably closer than she thinks. So, he was there, on the mountain, to suppress the fire and safeguard Yukina - and he was this late about it because he didn't want to reveal his powers until he had to. By the time the blaze became magically charged, it would have covered his energy signature and allowed him to move undetected by Yukina, so he did. Hiei was on the same errand. They ran into each other. Hiei was weak, so he collapsed, but Yukina's brother left him with a token for his sister..._

"We have to convince Yukina that her brother is watching her in secret. Today, he suppressed the blaze only when the energy of all the old, sacred trees would completely cover his youki and render him undetectable to her. He and Hiei ran into each other but because Hiei was weak, Yukina's brother left him with a hiruiseki to take to her - because he knows Hiei has been watching for him." Kurama said in one breath. Genkai thought it through and gave it a grudging nod.

"It could work. But how are you going to let Hiei know all this, when Yukina will ask him about it as soon as he wakes?"

Kurama's face became serious. "Can you convince Yukina not to ask him until... later?" He asked lamely. Genkai snorted and Kurama sighed. "No more than stop breathing..." he agreed softly. The old woman stood slowly.

"Why are you so concerned? He got himself into this. Let him solve his own problems."

Kurama gave her a remarkably icy look for a person whose skin was flushed and seared with heat. "People have been letting him solve his own problems all his life." He pronounced coldly. "And even if you want to look at it in such an uncaring way... I did get him into this. Without the shampoo, there would have been no hiruiseki."

Genkai was not cowed by his anger. "You don't think there might have been a few tears over his first true friend, possibly dying, and at being simply unable to summon enough power to stop it?"

Kurama's eyes softened a little, then. His eyes travelled out to the courtyard. "...Hiei would not cry over me, Genkai-baba." He blinked once, the faintest trace of pleasure on his lips at the idea. Then the anger returned. "And in the case that he ever did, why would I then leave him to his own devices?"

Genkai shrugged and stood up. "I'm going to make more tea. I feel Hiei's youki returning to a workable state. He'll probably wake up soon. Tell Yukina I'll need her in the kitchen." Kurama took that to mean she'd cover for him as he related his plan to the fire demon. He nodded once, decisively, and tossed his hair back over his shoulder. It fell down his blistered back, feeling much, much rougher on the sensitive skin than it usually did. He grimaced. _My kingdom for a hair tie._

- - - - - - - - - -

A/N: I know it's short. Sorry. It does get longer. Please let me know what you think of this fic so far. Constructive criticism is most appreciated. (Incoherent praise is appreciated, too.)


	4. Cold Determination

Disclaimer: I do not own Hiei, Kurama, Yukina, Genkai, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko or the arsonist. I also do not own anything else from _Yu Yu Hakusho_.

A/N: In which Hiei wakes. About time, too, lazy half-breed that he is.

**Saving Private Yukina**

Cold Determination

His eyes still stung. This he noted with a slight clench of his jaw as he drifted from deep slumber into wakefulness. Dimly, he recalled Genkai's probing fingers and their staggering passage back down the mountain toward the temple. Hiei opened his eyes.

He could tell he was in the dojo by its scent. Had he been relying on his eyes, he would have estimated that he was about four hundred feet beneath the surface of a slightly milky liquid, looking up at the sun. He curled over to his left side, and ahead of him he could scent... roses. Damn fox. He squinted and made out a white blur and six feet, as well as three heads of vibrant red hair. He frowned. Eventually, his vision resolved the six legs into just two. Then he sat up and they blurred out of focus again. He rubbed at his eyes fretfully with the heels of his hands.

Cool hands - Yukina - tugged them patiently away from his face. "Hiei-san, I'm glad you're awake. Please, try not to rub your eyes..."

The blur that was Kurama chuckled softly. "Your eyes are still bothering you... I'm very sorry about that. You'll need to wash them out properly to get rid of the shampoo. I can't say that the smoke was good for them, either."

Hiei squinted at him for a long time. Eventually he determined that the fox was dressed in a loose white outfit that looked like it would be more suitably put to use practicing kendo. "We are never having a 'shower' again." He wiped at his eyes again. Yukina took his hand from him again and held both the captured appendages in her lap with one hand. With the other she reached behind her and picked up a small basin full of cool water. She offered it to him with a hopeful expression.

"To wash out your eyes. Just cup a bit in your hand..." She trailed off as Hiei picked up the basin and just dunked his entire face in it, obviously determined to cure his vision. Kurama and Yukina exchanged helpless looks.

"Well, that's one way of doing it..." the redhead muttered. Hiei removed his face from the bowl of water and swiped his hands over his face rather than use his only partially replenished youki. He snorted. His vision was exactly the same as it had been thirty seconds ago, except that now the white blur was framed by the black blur of his wet, clumped-together eyelashes.

"What was that shampoo stuff?"

Kurama shrugged lightly. "A mixture of chemicals and plant extracts that humans use to keep their hair clean. Ordinarily it wouldn't have harmed you much, but that one also had a special wash to keep my seeds healthy."

Yukina sat patiently with her hands in her lap, trying not to fidget as Hiei glared at his friend. Kurama's eyes flicked between Hiei and Yukina uneasily. Then, as though just remembering, he let out a soft cry. "Oh! Yukina-san... Genkai-baba said to tell you that she would appreciate your help in the kitchen." Yukina glanced up at him in surprise and he gave her a gentle smile. "I forgot." He murmured apologetically, inclining his head and directing an almost ashamed look at her through his lashes. There was a pause, and then Yukina nodded.

"Thankyou, Kurama-san." She stood quietly and hastened from the room. Kurama let out a soft sigh of relief and immediately shifted closer to Hiei, wincing, but obviously urgently needing to speak to his friend in private. Hiei craned slightly closer, expression neutral.

"Hiei, we need to talk... Yukina-san found a hiruiseki in your hand, today." The fire demon stiffened, eyes widening slightly. He directed a look of forced calm at the fox, but – whether it was the fact that Hiei could not actually focus, or something else - Kurama could see how worried he was. Quickly, he added, "It's all right, Genkai and I came up with a plan. All you have to do is convince Yukina that her brother is watching her in secret." Quickly, he related the details to Hiei. The fire demon looked doubtful.

"It's too close..." he muttered morosely. Kurama shrugged.

"What else can you say?" He asked lightly.

And of course, there was nothing else he could tell her except the truth.

Shortly, Yukina and Genkai entered, bearing two large trays covered with rice and small dishes of meat and vegetables. Genkai put down the tray and smacked Kurama lightly over the head. "Forgot, eh?" She demanded, eyebrow raised. Kurama gave her a sheepish look.

"I blame it on the fire." He said. Genkai snorted.

"I had a feeling you would." She sat down and crossed her legs, then clapped her hands together. "Itadakimasu!" Kurama and Yukina followed her example. Hiei picked up a bowl of rice. Yukina cleared her throat softly and he froze.

"Hiei-san..." She brought her right hand to her obi and withdrew from beneath its lip a tiny black tear gem. "I... I found this hiruiseki in your hand, earlier..." Hiei stared at her for several seconds, frozen. For a moment, Kurama feared... but then the fire demon seemed to relax slightly.

"You found it." He said lightly, looking calmly back down at his rice. "I was concerned I'd dropped it on the way back." Yukina's pale pink lips opened and closed, and she looked down at her meal sadly. Hiei said, "He said to tell you not to worry. He has some things to take care of, but he's keeping an eye on you." Kurama stuffed a mouthful of rice between his lips to mask a smirk. He shouldn't have worried. Of course Hiei could make this sound sincere. "...He's very sorry for keeping his presence from you, but he wasn't sure if you would believe the stories the Koorime told of him."

Yukina nearly dropped her rice. "But-- you told him, didn't you-- Hiei-san--" Hiei held up his hand to quell her nervous outburst.

"I told him that you had been searching for him ever since you discovered that you had a brother, and he gave me that hiruiseki to give to you." He finished. Yukina was silent for a moment, but then she let out a relieved breath and beamed at him. Although he couldn't see her well enough to know this, Hiei sensed it anyway and allowed himself the very faintest of smiles.

Kurama found his inner self curled up in a ball inside his head, blushing and giggling like a school girl at the sheer _cuteness_ of it all. (Youko prodded at this self cautiously with a long stick of some kind, unsure if its insanity was contagious.)

Yukina set down her bowl of rice. She stood and walked carefully to where Hiei sat, on the other side of Genkai. The fire demon watched her cautiously. _What's she doing?_ Yukina knelt a little behind him and wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders, much to Hiei's shock. Kurama and Genkai exchanged amused glances across the food as the fire demon froze in surprised horror and Yukina rested her forehead against his shoulder.

"Thankyou, Hiei-san!" Yukina murmured. Hiei blinked twice.

"...fine. It's fine." He said hoarsely. Yukina pulled back and directed a grateful smile at him before returning to her place. Hiei sat uncertainly for several minutes, silently staring blankly at his rice. Then he stood up and flickered outside. Yukina watched after him sadly and went back to eating her rice.

When they had finished eating and Yukina had helped Genkai tidy the kitchen, she came to sit by Kurama as she tended to his burns. Her eyes were downcast as she worked, thoughtful and sad. Kurama wished he could say something to reassure her. She rested her hands lightly on his forearm as she concentrated on soothing the burns. "Kurama-san..."

He waited.

"Would you... apologise to Hiei-san for me? I... I don't think he liked me hugging him very much." Her voice was so uncertain. Kurama sympathised. He'd been brushed aside by Hiei many times in the past, but knowing what he did of Hiei's past he could understand the Forbidden Child's instinct to keep his distance. Yukina didn't have that reasoning to fall back upon.

"Yukina-chan, don't worry. Hiei..." He searched for words. "He has not had an easy life. He's not used to being appreciated." That didn't sound right at all. Kurama abandoned all hope of remaining detached. "What I mean, Yukina-chan, is that he can't quite accept anyone would love him freely as a dear friend, without expecting anything more of him." Yukina's eyes widened slightly, sadly. Very quietly, she said, "Oh..."

She continued trying to draw the heat from his burns. As a Koorime, they were really the only sort of affliction she had any trouble with. Kurama appreciated the effort. "Thankyou for this, Yukina-chan." She smiled at him.

"Please, don't mention it." There was a long pause. "Kurama-san, do you think Hiei-san will ever let you or I hug him?" It was a carefully phrased question and Kurama wasn't entirely sure how to answer it. He chose the most obvious response, and sighed heavily.

"I don't know, Yukina-chan. I think the only person who can answer that is Hiei himself."

- - - - - - - - - -

Later, when Kurama had gone to telephone his mother to let her know where he was - and where he would be staying until 'the temple had been repaired' (his youki had recovered from the loss of so many trees) - Yukina walked hesitantly out into the darkened courtyard.

"Hiei-san?"

Her small voice echoed in the darkness. She waited patiently for a few seconds, and when nothing moved, she sighed slightly.

"Hiei-san, can I talk to you, please?"

Reluctantly, Hiei materialised out of the shadows. He hadn't been able to go very far – all he could see was slight differentiations in the colour of the darkness. She smiled at him gratefully as he edged closer, as though afraid she was going to leap on him and hug him again. (Which was ridiculous, because Yukina would never do such a thing.) She looked at him, feeling rather awkward, and opened her mouth to speak.

She didn't know what to say.

Hiei waited. Finally Yukina managed, "I want to go to him."

The fire demon very nearly swore out loud. "It's too dangerous. He'll come to you when his business is done."

Yukina's slender hands clenched. "No, I want to go to him. I've been waiting for so long for a sign of... and now I have one. Hiei-san, please..." She looked at him with pleading crimson eyes filled with tears. "You must understand how badly I want to find him."

The eyes were almost his undoing. He stared at her, slowly panicking, and said, hoarsely, "I can't." He shook his head fiercely. "I promised him that I wouldn't. He doesn't want to involve you with... what he's doing. He doesn't want to endanger you."

Yukina clasped both hands before her obi, looking down. "I don't care... I don't care if I'm in danger. I don't care what he's done, I don't care who he's dealing with. I only want to find him, Hiei-san." A lone hiruiseki clattered to the cobblestones.

Hiei tried desperately to think of some way out of this. With anyone else, even the fox, he would have disappeared in a shadowy gust of wind by now. He didn't know what to do with Yukina. _Don't be stupid. The only problem is that you can't see._ "I can't." He repeated. Inspiration struck him. "Even ignoring your brother's wishes, what about Kuwabaka? He would never forgive me for leading you into danger." _Not that I care what the Idiot thinks of me..._

Yukina shook her head slowly and looked up with a slight smile. "Kazuma-san would understand..." Her eyes went far away for a few moments, in which Hiei found himself getting extremely angry with the Idiot. How was it possible that he could bring such happiness to Yukina, when Hiei had only made her cry? He'd made her cry... For a few moments, Hiei felt like the single most wretched being in the three worlds. Then her focus was back. "Please, Hiei-san." She'd already given up, but one last plea couldn't hurt.

Hiei said, "Iie, Yukina-chan. I promised. I can't."

Yukina bowed her head miserably. Hiei disappeared into the darkness. If she listened very carefully, she could hear the unusually loud crunch of leaves beneath his weight as he passed further into darkness.

Kurama was waiting for her when she returned. He cocked his head curiously and she shook her head. He opened his mouth to sympathise, but she beat him to it.

"It's all right, Kurama-san. I'll find him myself."

Kurama hid a grimace. What had they done?

- - - - - - - - - -

It was very late when Hiei came back and his ascent up the dojo steps was hesitant and clumsy. Kurama was lying on his side, facing the doors, green eyes glittering blackly in the darkness. His voice was moss-soft. "She's going to find him herself." The shadow that was Hiei paused in the doorway and Kurama saw his shoulders stiffen.

"She'll find nothing. And then she'll come back."

"Hiei..."

"Shut up, fox." Hiei's voice was louder than he'd intended it to be. He lowered it as he walked to the bedroll he'd been given. "Just be quiet. I don't want to talk about it." He lay down, back to Kurama.

The fox's eyes darkened with sorrow and no small measure of hurt. He closed them. "Then sleep well, Hiei."

Hiei's sleep was plagued by an old nightmare. An old nightmare of falling... of running. In his dreams, he always ran.

- - - - - - - - - -

A/N: And that would be chapter four. Reviews are appreciated.


	5. Plans

Disclaimer: I do not own Hiei, Kurama, Yukina, Genkai, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Keiko or the arsonist. I also do not own anything else from _Yu Yu Hakusho_.

A/N: I'm considering changing the title, since several people have made the comment that the current title turned them off. So, I'll be considering that. In response to **Psycho64**, there probably will be a teensy little hint of KxH. It won't be overt, because this story isn't focused on them, but it will in all likelihood be there because I do like the pairing. (I'm glad to see you don't hold yaoi/shounen-ai against the authors who write it, though.)

Anyway, this chapter, Yukina-chan makes plans to search for her brother and Hiei sulkily makes plans of his own.

**Saving Private Yukina**

Chapter Five: Plans

Hiei woke as soon as Yukina entered the next morning, though she was artfully silent in her movements. She smiled and motioned for him to stay put, disappearing into the kitchen. At least she wasn't angry with him for refusing to help her. Hiei stood cautiously and padded to the door of the kitchen, careful not to wake Kurama. He was surprised at the lingering blurriness of his vision and the weakness in his body - he was more tired than he had expected to be.

Yukina was standing at the sink, carefully grinding the leaves and stalks of Genkai's favourite tea. She half-turned to retrieve some kitchen implement from her left and then turned to him with a mortar tucked in the crook of her arm. "Good morning, Hiei-san. Did you sleep well?" She swirled the pestle around the inside of the stone bowl as she spoke. Hiei tried not to wince at the hollow grating sound.

"Fine." He replied shortly. She turned back to her task, inclining her head with a frown of effort as she strove to make the finest powder of the plants in the bowl. Hiei watched her for a few minutes, red eyes unreadable.

"Hiei-san..."

Her voice was not quite hesitant. He paused, listening, and then realised she was waiting for him to respond. "Yes."

Yukina continued. "If you wouldn't mind... I'd like both you and Kurama to stay here for a few days. Until I'm sure you have fully recovered." Hiei snorted.

"Daijoubu."

Yukina carefully swept the ground tea into a small bowl and added just the right amount of water with a small, satisfied smile. "I know you recover quickly, Hiei-san, but your eyes aren't going to be back to normal until tomorrow at least. And..."

Hiei scowled at this new piece of information. "And?"

"And I'm worried about Kurama. He will mourn for his trees, and mourning doesn't make for a fast recovery." She retrieved an impressively shaped bamboo whisk from the bench top and began to froth the thick green tea Genkai enjoyed so much. (Though truthfully, she wasn't sure if the human woman enjoyed the tea itself or the expression on Yusuke's face when she made him drink it.) "I don't think he'll stay if you go."

Hiei raised an eyebrow at this but remained silent. He had saddened her enough last night - he could stay with the fox, if she wanted him to. If his eyes were going to be annoying and fuzzy until tomorrow... "I'll stay." He murmured. Yukina made a small sound of satisfaction.

"There's nothing more I can do for you with what I have, here. I'll need to buy some things." She said, in so off-hand a tone that Hiei immediately became suspicious. "So, I'll go into town today and pick them up."

"I thought you wanted to keep an eye on us." Hiei said.

Yukina set aside her whisk and gave the fire demon an almost mischievous smile. "All I can do is make sure neither of you overexert yourselves, and change Kurama-san's bandages this morning and this evening." Holding the tea bowl in both hands, she bowed slightly to Hiei. "I'll just take this to Genkai..." Excused, she hurried out the other side of the kitchen, leaving Hiei sitting on the bench.

The fire demon scowled. He didn't like to think it, but his sister was up to something, and he'd bet his Jagan he knew precisely what it was...

- - - - - - - - - -

Yukina, having delivered the tea bowl to Genkai in a room at the rear of the dojo, returned to the kitchen several minutes later. She could hear soft voices from the main hall - Kurama was awake. She wondered if that had been a natural awakening, or if Hiei had come into the equation. Kurama didn't sound annoyed... but then, he rarely did. Certainly not with Hiei, or with her... only occasionally with Genkai.

Yukina hoped that neither of them would be annoyed with her. She _would_ go into the town to pick up the things she needed to make Hiei some eye drops (human chemicals played havoc with demon skin, she had discovered, and she was loath to use them on the fire demon's eyes) and Kurama some more salve... but she had other things to buy as well, which she hoped Genkai would lend her money for.

Yukina felt bad, asking for help from the old woman. She knew Genkai didn't earn any money. With all the trouble Genkai had gone to, putting Yukina up and making sure that there were wards to protect her during her stay in Ningenkai, the Koorime didn't want to cause any more trouble to her benefactor.

But...

Her brother was out there. Somewhere. If he was any higher than B-Class, he couldn't go back to Makai without Genkai noticing a rift. If he was watching her...

She shook her head briskly and filled a large pot with water. No time for this. She had to start breakfast.

- - - - - - - - - -

Hiei had indeed come into the equation. Kurama was still rubbing the shoulder Hiei had 'nudged' and staring at his friend in wordless displeasure, but noticing Hiei's discomfort he chose not to rail too loudly against the harsh treatment. It wasn't particularly harsh for Hiei, anyway.

"She's going out."

Kurama cocked his head at the words. "Yukina?"

"She's going out _looking_ for him. Me."

"I did tell you so, Hiei-san..."

"But _she_ won't even tell me so..."

Kurama sighed. "She probably doesn't want you to worry about her. Hiei, you can't expect her not to lie to you when you lie so often to her."

It was true, but Hiei didn't want to hear it. He glared at the fox and stomped toward the door.

"Hiei..."

The fire demon ground his teeth and stopped abruptly, a silent exclamation of _WHAT?_ evident in the tension across his shoulders. Kurama got wearily to his feet and walked the few steps before he could drape his arms lightly about Hiei's shoulders. The fire demon made to pull away but Kurama bent enough that he could whisper into his ear without fear of being overheard by anyone.

"I will come with you, if you would like to go after her today. I know you will. Please don't go on your own. I got you into this, and for that I apologise. I'll help you however I can."

Hiei remained tense and irritated for a few brief moments before the rage cooled to a simmering discontent. "Fine. Don't think I'll slow down for you."

Kurama smiled slightly and released the fire demon. "Let's not forget who's half blind, here."

Hiei turned around and socked Kurama lightly in the arm, presumably to demonstrate who was most certainly _not_ half blind, and found Yukina watching them with a smile from the door at the back of the dojo. He stared at her and then glared at Kurama, whose bright smile was full of amusement. With a sound of disgust, he stomped back into the dojo. What else could he expect of a youko?

- - - - - - - - - -

A/N: I'm sorry these chapters are so short. They seem to be coming out this way. At least this means that the story is written in manageable chunks, though. I can sit down and write a chapter of 'Saving Private Yukina' even in the busiest of weeks at school. The same can't be said for a lot of my other fanfiction. I'm having fun writing this – please review and let me know what you think of it.


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